workplace violence

As a young boy I quickly discovered that I was considerably smaller that most of my friends. So I learned to compensate to make up the difference. I could run pretty fast, and I was good at catching a ball. I developed a pretty keen sense of competition, both on a field, and in a classroom. The other thing I learned to develop was a vocabulary used for both good and not so good, that’s where my speed paid dividends. In those days you didn’t get a ribbon for participating, you either won or you lost. Honestly I was a terrible loser, and my vocabulary got me in trouble where I either backed myself into a corner or someone else. If they were bigger than me, and usually they were, it didn’t turn out so well. Those habits don’t go away real easy and as an adult I was gently reminded that I needed to address the issue more than once. I needed to get an understanding of anger, how it works and what causes it. So “Anger Management” here I come.

I did find out that I wasn’t the only one, but that was of little consolation. Did you know that one out of six violent crimes happens in the workplace? Did you know that the number one killer of women in the workplace is violence? How many times has someone told you to relax or calm down? Did you listen or did it just send you to the next level? There are several types of people who should consider some type of relaxation response training or awareness. Ask yourself these questions: Do I have Coronary problems? Do I frequently get angry? Am I frequently tense and irritable? Do I experience a lot of aggravation? Am I impatient? Do I have a stressful job? Do I want to live longer and healthier? Do I want to be a top performer? A positive answer to any of these questions should tell you that you need to be able to learn to relax, and recognize the triggers that cause an anger response, and then take a breath. This is all easier said than done, and there is a lot more to be learned, anger is like an addiction, it’s not an easy journey. This is important for both you and your family, not to mention your co-workers. Many places of employment today have a Zero Tolerance Policy toward anger and violence. Your employer just can’t take a chance.

There are occasions when a display of anger is necessary and justifiable. It gives validation to our humanness, as long as it is controllable and makes a point. In our workplace today, a manager needs to be able to identify those who are at risk, and to be able to deal with the “What If” as well as be a referee on occasion. This can also be referred to as “Conflict Management" . This topic is much deeper than this blog. Anger and violence in the workplace is very real and deserves all the attention it gets. Anger Management will earn you better relationships, greater productivity, and a healthier life.

Has the United States become a very dangerous place to work? Mad gunmen went astray, killed innocent people, and made headlines for the whole world to see. It is high time for the government to take notice of our public gun laws. But, the government alone can’t stop violence. It needs the people to take part. Read more from Mary Bailey on “Workplace Homicides Up 50 Percent in 2012.”

Although employers are held responsible for workplace health and safety issues, employees are also expected to take safety measures at work. Workplace violence, such as discrimination and sexual harassment, is beyond the full control of employers. You can either continue to be a victim or deal with them once and for all. Here’s a helpful post from Scott Roberts: “Personal Safety at Work.”

“Bullying” may sound too high schoolish for employers to give it any extra attention. But with the increasing bullying incidents that had led to safety and health issues and made employees leave their jobs, it’s high time for employers to turn their cards and start taking this workplace “dilemma” seriously.

True enough, it is really complicated to spot bullying. In fact, there’s a thin line between being mean and a bully. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), while these two may look so similar, being mean actually stops when something has been successfully done. To make this a little clearer to understand, let’s have a manager and his associates as an example of a mean attitude: He gives them instructions, yells at them if he has to repeat them for the nth time, but stops all the pressures once the job is done. On the other hand, bullying is mistreating a single individual over and over again with the purpose of offending, threatening, intimidating, and/or humiliating that individual. If this isn’t enough to differentiate the two, just think of the fine line as this: personal malice.

In his post “Taming the Workplace Bully,” Adam Piore mentioned two psychological reasons why some people are bullies - they are popular and want to stay that way, or they can also be the ones with low self-esteem and want to feel superior.

So, what can employers do about bullying? The first step is to gather all employees, from senior managers to rack-and-file employees, to a meeting and discuss with them the efforts of the company on anti-bullying. Then, together, you can create a grievance policy that would explain what they have to do in case bullying problems arise. Lastly, follow the policy very seriously.

Before things go out of hand, it’s good to know the root cause of small problems. Employers should take time off to walk around the working premises and see firsthand what’s really going on inside.

It could start with a mere snide remark about how an employee eats her lunch. To employers, it may just look like employees who love joking around to pass the hours. But if you look a little more closely, this can develop into bullying, which can hurt the productivity of victims and eventually the business. Learn more about this issue in “Taming the Workplace Bully” by Adam Piore of Bloomberg Business Week.

Workplace violence is another angle the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has been looking at for dangers employees (and even customers) may face. In fact, they have just found out that even nursing homes aren’t safe. Find out the full story in “Workplace Violence Prompts Rising Concern” by Eric Robinette for the Middletown Journal.

We try to finish college so we can land a high-paying job. We wake up each morning with the thought of how we’re going to get through the day at the office, how we can finally get a promotion and receive a higher salary. We go home not to relax, but to spend the whole night being bothered of how good (or bad) we did at work. Ladies and gents, don’t you know, we spend a roughly 90% of one year of our existence working for money! There’s actually no problem about it. After all, who doesn’t need money to survive? The thing is, has it ever crossed your mind whether or not you’re safe at work?

There are different types of hazards that employees are exposed to depending mainly on the nature of their job. Occupational health, a branch in medicine that deals with possible safety risks in working environments, categorizes them into three: physical and mechanical, biochemical, and psychological.

Among these three types, psychological hazards are the most ignored. If we only knew, intentional violence has been one of the major causes of workplace accidents, according to the Department of labor statistics. What does this tell us? Sometimes, peace of mind, stress, burnout and other psychological problems are too personal for employers to step in and care. It only means that employees, at this level, must take the responsibility. Although, we also have to take into account other psychological threats in which employers are expected to monitor and assess, such as bullying and sexual harassment.

Just because you’re not worrying every minute about falling debris or about being buried alive inside a mining site does not mean you are safe from all physical risks. Accidents are not just caused by workplace safety risks! According to Department of Labor statistics, intentional violence can be just as scary. Sue Reisinger covered the full story: Dept of Labor Data Shows 1 in 5 Workplace Deaths Due to Violence.

Sure, bullying can be a nasty business in the workplace, and it’s only right that our laws should monitor it. The funny thing, though, is that we’re going too far away from the real concept of workplace safety by putting workplace boredom as a consequence of bullying. From where exactly is this coming from? Read more on “Strict Workplace Health and Safety Replacing Common Sense?”

A survey of federal employees showed that a surprising number had seen violence at work. This may be even more surprising if you consider the fact that going to work in federal buildings means passing through security checkpoints. Having great security measures at the front door of your workplace is not enough to prevent violence. Experts recommend a holistic approach to security which includes educating employees about what to do if they see an act of violence in the office. Joel Griffin introduces us to more holistic security precautions here.